NEWS

News Apr-29-2019

New York’s New Pro Rugby Team Lands a French Star

The lure of the United States can be big, even for established international sports stars.

Pelé came to the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and was followed by a who’s-who of veterans. Major League Soccer has brought over big names like David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the twilight of their careers. Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani joined Major League Baseball in their prime.

Now the fledgling Major League Rugby seems to be heading down a similar path with the arrival of a foreign superstar: Mathieu Bastareaud, a 30-year-old French stalwart, will join Rugby United New York, which is playing its first season. Bastareaud plans to play stateside next year for one season on loan before returning to his club team in France, Toulon.